Here in Washington we have two Research Lodges, one on each side of the State. I think that most US Jurisdictions have at least one.
Freemasonry
I know that our Research Lodge in Seattle used to publish papers, making them available to the wider craft, but I haven’t seen a new one for a long time. I’m not sure if the Research Lodge in Spokane used to publish or not, I haven’t seen anything.
I am a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society, and they do publish. A quarterly newsletter that always contains a paper, and the larger collection of papers published once per year. I always look forward to receiving that, and have learned a great deal from it.
In the past, publishing was an extremely costly endeavor. Printing books is certainly not cheap.
But today, it can be very low cost. Platforms like write.as offer great publishing abilities at an extremely low cost. Platforms like blogger, while seemingly outdated still work very well and are without cost.
In Washington at least (unless this changes at a future Annual Communication) our Research Lodges are privileged in that their membership is not subject to the Grand Lodge’s per capita fees. I presume this was done in the past because it was felt that by doing research and publishing findings they were providing value to the craft as a whole.
I’m wondering, and I’d like to discuss:
Where Research Lodges exist, do they have a duty to publish?
And a second question:
Given the technology of today, how can they best publish easily and cheaply, yet reach the maximum number of Freemasons?
Apr 1, 2023·edited Apr 1, 2023Liked by Cameron M. Bailey
Outside of Masonry, "publish or perish" environments exist, colleges, laboratories, etc, and while these entities produce a lot of good work, the pressure to publish can result in publishing rubbish. So, I would tend to encourage, not require. What I think is fair is for our research Lodges, in exchange for exemption from the per capita, provide presentations and programs based on their existing research. Not necessarily in person, or live, but programs that could be presented in local Lodges and I think an annual at Grand Lodge presentation would also be fair. Maybe we could have a 'research lunch' and the best research of the year could be presented?
I really like your 'research lunch' at the Annual Communication idea. We are generally able to figure out themes or programs for our dinners at the AC, but lunches are basically just that, lunch.
Hosting a 'research lunch' would not only get interesting and important information out to the Craft as a whole, it would also add value to that lunch event. Greater value would certainly encourage attendance.
Apr 1, 2023·edited Apr 1, 2023Liked by Cameron M. Bailey
The research lodge here in Western Washington is a good one and they have a strong list of papers that are published. Unfortunately, you cannot access them online. There is no direction on how to acquire or read these items, which makes them basically useless. What good are these if they are not readily available?
I guess to my mind two things about our Research Lodges in Washington are incompatible with each other. The fact that they are privileged from payment of fees in our Code, and the fact that the papers aren't available to the wider Craft.
I have no objection to the Lodge's papers being limited, intentionally or functionally, to the members of the Lodge. But in that case, the privilege from fees is unfair.
I would also have no objection to the privilege from fees, if the papers were both produced and made available to the Craft as a whole. That seems fair.
Out of the small handful of Lodges that joined together to create the GL of Washington, one of them, Grand Mound No. 3 didn't survive, folding within a very short time.
Actually, the whole place didn't survive, the place where the settlement was is now just a very large farm field. We do have a nice marble monument commemorating the place our Lodge was, and our Apron Memorial is located there as well.
But, at some point before my time it was decided that we should keep the old Lodge name and number alive, given its role in our GL's formation, so Grand Mound No. 3 was re-constituted.
It meets once a year, membership is limited to plural members, it confers no Degrees, and it doesn't have votes in Grand Lodge. All members are Life Members, but the cost for that Life Membership is extremely low. All WM's of the Lodge are PGM's.
I just returned home from my second research lodge meeting in five days. It was The American Lodge of Research on Tuesday night, and New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786 today. I’m Junior Warden of the former, and a Past Master of the latter.
I like research lodges.
The “duty to publish” depends on the lodge’s bylaws. I would be surprised if such a lodge existed and did not have a requirement to publish its transactions, be it annually or within another specified period. These books pretty much are the benefit of paying dues.
Regarding reaching “the maximum number of Freemasons,” again, it’s usually about serving the members in good standing. There’s always the option of publishing the work online for all to see, but that interferes with the sole material benefit of paying dues.
At both my research lodges, we are egregiously behind in printing books (more than a decade in both), largely due to a paucity of material to work with. Both are rectifying that currently in different ways.
Concerning expense: Bro. Danny McHale leads the publishing effort at Georgia Lodge of Research. His books are gorgeous, with dark green hardcover and gold embossing. He wanted to enlist my lodges as clients, but at this time, our dues structures wouldn’t justify the high cost per copy. It’s worth it, but it’s financially out of reach for us at this time.
Research lodges in the United States typically ask $25 per year in dues. If you’re lucky, you have about 90 members, so there isn’t a big pile of money to work with. We’d have to increase annual dues to make functioning in modern times feasible. In fact, at The ALR in New York City, we voted Tuesday to tie annual dues to the Consumer Price Index, so the dues will increase gradually and consistently to allow us to manage affairs.
Lodges of research and education probably are the least popular activities in Freemasonry. They are meritocracies, so no one accumulates titles and jewels without first producing results. Just like the Masonic metaphor for labor and wages. In my experience, it is rare for research lodges to enjoy any support from their grand lodges. The research lodges become cultic, existing for their members. The happy few who likewise spend time reading and writing about Freemasonry are welcome to join, if they can accommodate the often unusual timing of the lodge meetings.
I really appreciate you taking the time to give us your perspective as someone who is heavily involved with Research Lodges. I think that most of us, including myself, are pretty unfamiliar with the inner workings of these Lodges.
I believe that one of ours here in Washington has dues at the amount you mention is typical. I have to wonder though, why is that typical? It just seems to me that it would be impossible to run any Lodge for $25 a year, more especially so if the Lodge needed to publish.
For any Lodge I really like the idea of tying dues to the CPI. That is, in my opinion, a step that Lodges must take in order to protect their income long term.
I suppose these things vary from place to place, but generally, in the United States, “research lodges” are not considered as lodges at all when it comes to the administration of the fraternity. They are viewed as clubs, basically. Research lodges do not make Masons, and that likely is why they do not pay per capita assessments to their grand lodges.
Their members, in most cases, pay that assessment to their Blue lodges which, naturally, forward the money to grand lodge.
Why are dues at $25? I think they were set at that rate on Day One, and haven’t been increased. These groups have low overhead, so it’s possible to limp along with that revenue stream, especially if you’ve “forgotten” to publish the transactions for a time.
As far as making the fruits of research accessible to the entire Craft: With all due respect, this work, when undertaken conscientiously by those who know how to do it, is difficult, extremely time consuming, and largely thankless.
We do it to answer questions that we ourselves wonder about, and to share it with the one in a thousand Masons who also want to learn. We could put it all online for all to see, and then laugh bitterly when the analytics prove how no one looks at it. If you’re interested, cough up the lousy $25 and read the book.
Everyone seems to have money for the golf outings, chili cook-offs, motorcycle runs, and other non-Masonic bullshit the fraternity supports. Those of us who do the reading and writing about Freemasonry are entirely ignored when we’re not laughed at. There’s no path to grand rank or other grand lodge honors; we pretty much just have each other.
I understand your point that in general Research Lodges are composed of men who are members of other Lodges, and that may be why they were exempted from the fees. That is how it used to be here in Washington. But it isn't now. Some time ago one of our (I guess I'll just use the term 'normal') Lodges merged into one of our Research Lodges, so there can be Masons who are not members of any other Lodge, and hence are exempt from the fees entirely.
That is of course a Washington problem, and likely doesn't exist elsewhere.
Your idea of using write.as would work fine and the Pro $6 per month, billed yearly version is a good price for doing what they say you can do https://write.as/
I think the entire execution of lodges of research seems a little wonky. I am a firm believer in the free exchange of ideas and information. Part of what the internet was originally envisioned. How it’s turned into everyone attempting to monetize it is just wrong, especially when dealing with Freemasonry.
If the research and papers are meant for the betterment of our craft, why wouldn’t they be available for everyone?
I think that if we expect creators to create, organizers to organize, and all the rest, providing us with what we want, then given the economic system adopted by our society, we must expect that the folks who do those things will work to monetize their efforts.
Really, there are only two choices. Successfully monetize, or create (organize, write, paint, teach, or whatever) less. That is the nature of our economic system.
It is ridiculous to use the term “monetize” in connection with research lodges, research societies, and the like. No one is pocketing money.
Anyone interested in this insular world within Freemasonry may affiliate with a research lodge. If none are conveniently located, there are subscription memberships in the Masonic Society (I’m former president), Philalethes, QCCC, SRRS, and others. Membership for a year in any of them costs less than what one might spend at a lodge cigar night.
I'm on the fence concerning Lodges of Research. I know Brothers that belong to them, but have never read a paper published by one.
Maybe the Grand Lodge should have an electronic file of these papers on a site like Grandview for all Brothers to read. Or maybe it's there already and I just need to find it.
I've been gifted some old papers from our Seattle Lodge that were published long ago, and enjoyed them very much. I've never seen a paper from our Spokane Lodge. I will say though that I find tremendous value in the Scottish Rite Research Society papers.
I would probably be interested in joining one of our Research Lodges, but they are both just located too far from my home to make that a viable option.
I would agree. Here’s another idea. Why not create a database of academic papers and put on an online password protected site. I do this with my grad and postgraduate students. Make it available to all brethren in our jurisdiction and legit researchers vetted by the research lodges.
Apr 3, 2023·edited Apr 3, 2023Liked by Cameron M. Bailey
I'll be in the East shortly for the Western New York Lodge of Research. I'm actually writing a book on this subject and hoping to publish sometime this Masonic year (before next May). From what I have surveyed thus far, almost all Lodges and bodies of Research publish at least some newsletter or an occasional book. Many are going virtual and digital most or all of the way.
Given the huge costs involved with paper, I imagine that digital will prove to be the best way to publish for most.
I think an option to participate virtually could be great too. I imagine that there are many of us in rural areas who might want to join in with our Jurisdiction's Research Lodge labors, but live too far away to participate in person.
Paper doesn't have to be prohibitive. The thick hardcover put out every year by QC is only a few bucks each, easily covered by the correspondence fee. The trick is to have something worth keeping -- a book or magazine rather than a stapled newsletter.
But the fact that remote-accessible (video) presentations aren't yet the norm is concerning after all we should have learned from COVID. It blew Masonry wide open for me and others, being able to visit Lodges and presentations around the world. There's always something going on.
I plan on making a Zoom capability (or some equivalent) the default for our meetings from now on, even though we will still meet in person and turn off the telepresence during ritual.
We have members who moved out of the area or joined from other jurisdictions. If we don't regularly publish and don't make it accessible online, then the only they they will ever see is the dues notice every year. I just can't accept that.
One of my Lodges has done something quite similar to what you suggest with Zoom.
They open Lodge ritualistically, then call Off Session and turn on Zoom, have an educational presentation either in the Lodge with people watching on Zoom, or on Zoom with the people in the Lodge watching. Then they turn off Zoom, go back On Session, then complete the business of the Lodge and ritualistically close.
They have done that at every meeting since the Lodge reopened after the pandemic.
Currently under our code Zoom can only be used for educational purposes, but I think this Lodge (and some others) would like to expand that to include the business of the Lodge as well. Everything but the ritual. We have a resolution upcoming at our next Annual Communication that would allow this.
I’m a “member” of a variety of Research Lodges that have varying structures/experiences.
Louisiana has one research lodge, it was formed in ~1989 and has dues of $20. It has <50 members and cannot conduct degrees. They hold one meeting a year (which is open to all Masons), at the annual communication, where one of the members presents a paper and does Q&A. They publish transactions of the Lodge on an intermittent basis based on having enough material to put into a book. Getting the book is the benefit of paying dues.
The Scottish Rite Research Society gets enough love here I’ll just add my agreement that it is an amazing value and provides great stuff.
I’m a member of the Quator Coronati Correspondence Circle, which provides access to some interesting papers every year, plus the annual transactions volume, that while more focused on English/Continental Masonry is fantastic. I highly recommend it if the topics they cover are of interest to you.
The Southern California Lodge of Research puts out an outstanding monthly magazine and an annual book for a relatively low cost. They’ve gone mostly digital at this point for the monthly, and I look forward to getting that in my email every month https://www.theresearchlodge.com/
The Research Lodge in Louisiana you write about seems like they have a great idea meeting at the Annual Communication. That seems quite similar to VW Priddy's idea mentioned above. I think that our members, some at least, would find that to be extremely valuable.
I wanted to make a separate point here, I think the question is less about Research Lodges having a duty to publish and more about Members of Research Lodges having a duty to Write. If the members don’t write anything the Lodge has nothing to publish.
I’m guilty of this in some regards myself. Pre-pandemic I usually had at leas 5-6 in progress essays of various lengths and topics working through my writing process, but moving across the country combined with the pandemic and the general disconnection I felt from almost everything put a damper on that. I’m trying to get back to writing, but so far more casting about on topics than actual writing. Oddly writing in the comments section here seems to be helping remind to write at least!
I am on vacation and will comment on this when I get home April 16
I hope that you are having a wonderful vacation!
Outside of Masonry, "publish or perish" environments exist, colleges, laboratories, etc, and while these entities produce a lot of good work, the pressure to publish can result in publishing rubbish. So, I would tend to encourage, not require. What I think is fair is for our research Lodges, in exchange for exemption from the per capita, provide presentations and programs based on their existing research. Not necessarily in person, or live, but programs that could be presented in local Lodges and I think an annual at Grand Lodge presentation would also be fair. Maybe we could have a 'research lunch' and the best research of the year could be presented?
I really like your 'research lunch' at the Annual Communication idea. We are generally able to figure out themes or programs for our dinners at the AC, but lunches are basically just that, lunch.
Hosting a 'research lunch' would not only get interesting and important information out to the Craft as a whole, it would also add value to that lunch event. Greater value would certainly encourage attendance.
The research lodge here in Western Washington is a good one and they have a strong list of papers that are published. Unfortunately, you cannot access them online. There is no direction on how to acquire or read these items, which makes them basically useless. What good are these if they are not readily available?
I guess to my mind two things about our Research Lodges in Washington are incompatible with each other. The fact that they are privileged from payment of fees in our Code, and the fact that the papers aren't available to the wider Craft.
I have no objection to the Lodge's papers being limited, intentionally or functionally, to the members of the Lodge. But in that case, the privilege from fees is unfair.
I would also have no objection to the privilege from fees, if the papers were both produced and made available to the Craft as a whole. That seems fair.
But the current situation does not seem fair.
Another trade-off for the exemption from grand lodge assessments is the research lodges’ lack of voting rights in grand lodge.
Interesting. I don't think that holds true in my Jurisdiction either. In fact, you just inspired me to check the Washington Masonic Code.
That does hold true here for our Historic Lodge, but I don't see it holding for our Research Lodges.
What is a Historic Lodge?
Out of the small handful of Lodges that joined together to create the GL of Washington, one of them, Grand Mound No. 3 didn't survive, folding within a very short time.
Actually, the whole place didn't survive, the place where the settlement was is now just a very large farm field. We do have a nice marble monument commemorating the place our Lodge was, and our Apron Memorial is located there as well.
But, at some point before my time it was decided that we should keep the old Lodge name and number alive, given its role in our GL's formation, so Grand Mound No. 3 was re-constituted.
It meets once a year, membership is limited to plural members, it confers no Degrees, and it doesn't have votes in Grand Lodge. All members are Life Members, but the cost for that Life Membership is extremely low. All WM's of the Lodge are PGM's.
What a great idea!
Greetings brethren!
I just returned home from my second research lodge meeting in five days. It was The American Lodge of Research on Tuesday night, and New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786 today. I’m Junior Warden of the former, and a Past Master of the latter.
I like research lodges.
The “duty to publish” depends on the lodge’s bylaws. I would be surprised if such a lodge existed and did not have a requirement to publish its transactions, be it annually or within another specified period. These books pretty much are the benefit of paying dues.
Regarding reaching “the maximum number of Freemasons,” again, it’s usually about serving the members in good standing. There’s always the option of publishing the work online for all to see, but that interferes with the sole material benefit of paying dues.
At both my research lodges, we are egregiously behind in printing books (more than a decade in both), largely due to a paucity of material to work with. Both are rectifying that currently in different ways.
Concerning expense: Bro. Danny McHale leads the publishing effort at Georgia Lodge of Research. His books are gorgeous, with dark green hardcover and gold embossing. He wanted to enlist my lodges as clients, but at this time, our dues structures wouldn’t justify the high cost per copy. It’s worth it, but it’s financially out of reach for us at this time.
Research lodges in the United States typically ask $25 per year in dues. If you’re lucky, you have about 90 members, so there isn’t a big pile of money to work with. We’d have to increase annual dues to make functioning in modern times feasible. In fact, at The ALR in New York City, we voted Tuesday to tie annual dues to the Consumer Price Index, so the dues will increase gradually and consistently to allow us to manage affairs.
Lodges of research and education probably are the least popular activities in Freemasonry. They are meritocracies, so no one accumulates titles and jewels without first producing results. Just like the Masonic metaphor for labor and wages. In my experience, it is rare for research lodges to enjoy any support from their grand lodges. The research lodges become cultic, existing for their members. The happy few who likewise spend time reading and writing about Freemasonry are welcome to join, if they can accommodate the often unusual timing of the lodge meetings.
It’s hard to get traction, but we persist.
C&F,
Jay
I really appreciate you taking the time to give us your perspective as someone who is heavily involved with Research Lodges. I think that most of us, including myself, are pretty unfamiliar with the inner workings of these Lodges.
I believe that one of ours here in Washington has dues at the amount you mention is typical. I have to wonder though, why is that typical? It just seems to me that it would be impossible to run any Lodge for $25 a year, more especially so if the Lodge needed to publish.
For any Lodge I really like the idea of tying dues to the CPI. That is, in my opinion, a step that Lodges must take in order to protect their income long term.
I suppose these things vary from place to place, but generally, in the United States, “research lodges” are not considered as lodges at all when it comes to the administration of the fraternity. They are viewed as clubs, basically. Research lodges do not make Masons, and that likely is why they do not pay per capita assessments to their grand lodges.
Their members, in most cases, pay that assessment to their Blue lodges which, naturally, forward the money to grand lodge.
Why are dues at $25? I think they were set at that rate on Day One, and haven’t been increased. These groups have low overhead, so it’s possible to limp along with that revenue stream, especially if you’ve “forgotten” to publish the transactions for a time.
As far as making the fruits of research accessible to the entire Craft: With all due respect, this work, when undertaken conscientiously by those who know how to do it, is difficult, extremely time consuming, and largely thankless.
We do it to answer questions that we ourselves wonder about, and to share it with the one in a thousand Masons who also want to learn. We could put it all online for all to see, and then laugh bitterly when the analytics prove how no one looks at it. If you’re interested, cough up the lousy $25 and read the book.
Everyone seems to have money for the golf outings, chili cook-offs, motorcycle runs, and other non-Masonic bullshit the fraternity supports. Those of us who do the reading and writing about Freemasonry are entirely ignored when we’re not laughed at. There’s no path to grand rank or other grand lodge honors; we pretty much just have each other.
Jay
I understand your point that in general Research Lodges are composed of men who are members of other Lodges, and that may be why they were exempted from the fees. That is how it used to be here in Washington. But it isn't now. Some time ago one of our (I guess I'll just use the term 'normal') Lodges merged into one of our Research Lodges, so there can be Masons who are not members of any other Lodge, and hence are exempt from the fees entirely.
That is of course a Washington problem, and likely doesn't exist elsewhere.
Your idea of using write.as would work fine and the Pro $6 per month, billed yearly version is a good price for doing what they say you can do https://write.as/
Yeah, write.as is a very good solution for anyone who wants to publish online. I've used it fairly extensively and have always been pleased.
I think the entire execution of lodges of research seems a little wonky. I am a firm believer in the free exchange of ideas and information. Part of what the internet was originally envisioned. How it’s turned into everyone attempting to monetize it is just wrong, especially when dealing with Freemasonry.
If the research and papers are meant for the betterment of our craft, why wouldn’t they be available for everyone?
I think that if we expect creators to create, organizers to organize, and all the rest, providing us with what we want, then given the economic system adopted by our society, we must expect that the folks who do those things will work to monetize their efforts.
Really, there are only two choices. Successfully monetize, or create (organize, write, paint, teach, or whatever) less. That is the nature of our economic system.
It is ridiculous to use the term “monetize” in connection with research lodges, research societies, and the like. No one is pocketing money.
Anyone interested in this insular world within Freemasonry may affiliate with a research lodge. If none are conveniently located, there are subscription memberships in the Masonic Society (I’m former president), Philalethes, QCCC, SRRS, and others. Membership for a year in any of them costs less than what one might spend at a lodge cigar night.
I'm on the fence concerning Lodges of Research. I know Brothers that belong to them, but have never read a paper published by one.
Maybe the Grand Lodge should have an electronic file of these papers on a site like Grandview for all Brothers to read. Or maybe it's there already and I just need to find it.
I've been gifted some old papers from our Seattle Lodge that were published long ago, and enjoyed them very much. I've never seen a paper from our Spokane Lodge. I will say though that I find tremendous value in the Scottish Rite Research Society papers.
I would probably be interested in joining one of our Research Lodges, but they are both just located too far from my home to make that a viable option.
I recently joined the Scottish Rite Research Society. Just about finished with the 2011 Heredom they sent me.
I hope that you enjoy it! I certainly do.
I would agree. Here’s another idea. Why not create a database of academic papers and put on an online password protected site. I do this with my grad and postgraduate students. Make it available to all brethren in our jurisdiction and legit researchers vetted by the research lodges.
That would be an extremely cost effective option I think.
I'll be in the East shortly for the Western New York Lodge of Research. I'm actually writing a book on this subject and hoping to publish sometime this Masonic year (before next May). From what I have surveyed thus far, almost all Lodges and bodies of Research publish at least some newsletter or an occasional book. Many are going virtual and digital most or all of the way.
Given the huge costs involved with paper, I imagine that digital will prove to be the best way to publish for most.
I think an option to participate virtually could be great too. I imagine that there are many of us in rural areas who might want to join in with our Jurisdiction's Research Lodge labors, but live too far away to participate in person.
Paper doesn't have to be prohibitive. The thick hardcover put out every year by QC is only a few bucks each, easily covered by the correspondence fee. The trick is to have something worth keeping -- a book or magazine rather than a stapled newsletter.
But the fact that remote-accessible (video) presentations aren't yet the norm is concerning after all we should have learned from COVID. It blew Masonry wide open for me and others, being able to visit Lodges and presentations around the world. There's always something going on.
I plan on making a Zoom capability (or some equivalent) the default for our meetings from now on, even though we will still meet in person and turn off the telepresence during ritual.
We have members who moved out of the area or joined from other jurisdictions. If we don't regularly publish and don't make it accessible online, then the only they they will ever see is the dues notice every year. I just can't accept that.
One of my Lodges has done something quite similar to what you suggest with Zoom.
They open Lodge ritualistically, then call Off Session and turn on Zoom, have an educational presentation either in the Lodge with people watching on Zoom, or on Zoom with the people in the Lodge watching. Then they turn off Zoom, go back On Session, then complete the business of the Lodge and ritualistically close.
They have done that at every meeting since the Lodge reopened after the pandemic.
Currently under our code Zoom can only be used for educational purposes, but I think this Lodge (and some others) would like to expand that to include the business of the Lodge as well. Everything but the ritual. We have a resolution upcoming at our next Annual Communication that would allow this.
I’m a “member” of a variety of Research Lodges that have varying structures/experiences.
Louisiana has one research lodge, it was formed in ~1989 and has dues of $20. It has <50 members and cannot conduct degrees. They hold one meeting a year (which is open to all Masons), at the annual communication, where one of the members presents a paper and does Q&A. They publish transactions of the Lodge on an intermittent basis based on having enough material to put into a book. Getting the book is the benefit of paying dues.
The Scottish Rite Research Society gets enough love here I’ll just add my agreement that it is an amazing value and provides great stuff.
I’m a member of the Quator Coronati Correspondence Circle, which provides access to some interesting papers every year, plus the annual transactions volume, that while more focused on English/Continental Masonry is fantastic. I highly recommend it if the topics they cover are of interest to you.
The Southern California Lodge of Research puts out an outstanding monthly magazine and an annual book for a relatively low cost. They’ve gone mostly digital at this point for the monthly, and I look forward to getting that in my email every month https://www.theresearchlodge.com/
The Vancouver Lodge of Research host Grand Masonic Day every year to present papers and provide the transactions of the Lodge. It’s coming up on April 29th this year. Some of their past proceedings are available here https://www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/vgmd/vgmd.html and information on this years event can be found here https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/grand-masonic-day-2023-featuring-andrew-hammer-and-professor-scott-kenney-tickets-491359307917
The Research Lodge in Louisiana you write about seems like they have a great idea meeting at the Annual Communication. That seems quite similar to VW Priddy's idea mentioned above. I think that our members, some at least, would find that to be extremely valuable.
If I’m not mistaken, Indiana’s research lodge does likewise.
I wanted to make a separate point here, I think the question is less about Research Lodges having a duty to publish and more about Members of Research Lodges having a duty to Write. If the members don’t write anything the Lodge has nothing to publish.
I’m guilty of this in some regards myself. Pre-pandemic I usually had at leas 5-6 in progress essays of various lengths and topics working through my writing process, but moving across the country combined with the pandemic and the general disconnection I felt from almost everything put a damper on that. I’m trying to get back to writing, but so far more casting about on topics than actual writing. Oddly writing in the comments section here seems to be helping remind to write at least!
Thank you for this. Your point is very well taken. Nothing can be published if nothing is written.